10 Surprising Things You Can Make in a KitchenAid Mixer

Everyone knows that the first step to a kitchen straight out of a Nancy Meyers movie is a gleaming, jewel-toned KitchenAid mixer. But in addition to being gorgeous and cheery, the classic stand mixer truly is an indispensable workhorse. It’s the master of multitasking (tip: get started washing dishes while it’s at work) and a must-have for cake, cookie and muffin batters. But that’s not all it can do: Here are ten of our favorite little-known KitchenAid tricks.

Bread

We admit that there’s something therapeutic about kneading bread dough by hand—it’s like an edible stress ball. But it does take time, and that’s where the dough hook on your KitchenAid comes in. It pretty much does all your kneading for you, making it easy to have homemade bread anytime.

Pasta

Homemade pasta beats the dried stuff by a mile, but we were always a little intimidated by the thought of rolling it out by hand. Enter the KitchenAid pasta attachment—it affixes to the front of the mixer and uses the power of the motor to churn out uniform sheets.

Mashed Potatoes

Mixing by hand is a great arm workout, but it’s not the best way to get super-creamy, lump-free spuds. Instead, we like to use a KitchenAid one-two punch. Use the paddle mixer to break up chunks of boiled potato, then switch to the whisk and add in all the good stuff (hot milk and a ton of butter, of course).

Meringues

Whipping egg whites into fully stiff peaks requires forearm strength we simply don’t possess. With the KitchenAid, it’s done in a matter of minutes—all while you make the cup of tea you’ll want to sip while eating them.

Meatballs

This is more about keeping things germ-free than anything else. Most meatball recipes (like this one by Coterie member Ali Ebright) call for mixing the raw meat, eggs and spices by hand. Instead, dump them into the KitchenAid—they’ll be mixed more thoroughly and save you an (kind of gross) extra step.

Guacamole

Your beloved guac is easy enough to mix by hand, especially if your avocados are properly ripe. But if you’re making a big batch for a party, the KitchenAid is a lifesaver. With the paddle attachment, you can still keep it chunky—just keep an eye on it so you don’t over mix.

Ice Cream

Instead of buying a separate ice cream maker, all you have to do is buy a special bowl for your KitchenAid. Swap out the regular bowl for a pre-frozen ice cream bowl, and have perfect home-churned ice cream anytime.